Australia’s most talked-about reality show, Married at First Sight (MAFS), has once again proven to be a powerhouse in both entertainment and brand integration. As Season 12 captivates audiences across Channel 9 and 9Now, leading brands are leveraging its massive reach to engage with consumers in innovative ways.
B&T sat down with Sarah Stewart, director of content partnerships and client experience at Nine’s marketing services team Powered and Channel 9’s director of 9Now and programming, Hamish Turner, to discuss what has made the show such a roaring success and why brands keep coming back for more.
A Ratings Juggernaut
The latest season of MAFS has launched with impressive viewership, solidifying its position as one of Australia’s most-watched programs. The premiere episode achieved a staggering seven-day consolidated Total TV average audience of 2,297,000 viewers, with a notable boost from 9Now, which attracted 917,000 viewers over the past seven days.
Momentum carried through to the first dinner party episode on Monday night, which secured an average BVOD audience of 493,000 and a Total TV national average audience of 1,779,000 viewers. The episode also reached an impressive 2.8 million people.
Turner credited the show’s consistent ability to dominate the ratings and cultural conversation. “In this fragmented world where there’s so much choice, some of these big brands are just getting bigger, and MAFS, seemingly, is the pin-up child for that,” he said. “It is, by far, the biggest show in the country.”
Turner highlighted how the program has become a cultural phenomenon, resonating with audiences year after year. “It’s going from strength to strength to strength. When something burns bright, it engages everyone, and it becomes a cultural zeitgeist phenomenon, a part of the conversation, and you got to be watching,” he explained.
He also noted the show’s unique ability to sustain public interest beyond the screen. “This brand is everywhere. It’s self-perpetuating. It drives its own headlines. That kind of talkability is driving a cultural moment,” Turner added.
Why Brands Keep Coming Back
As the series continues to see impressive annual growth, brands are tapping into the power of MAFS to connect with more Australians than any other television program, resulting in high levels of consumer engagement.
Stewart attributes the continued success of MAFS sponsorships to its ability to create seamless, organic brand integrations that resonate with viewers.
“There’s the obvious reason that it is the ratings juggernaut that it is,” Stewart explained. “But we’re really focused on aligning brands within the series in ways that amplify their messaging, ensuring it feels organic to the storyline. Viewers can smell a rat when they see one, and I think MAFS allows us to do this effectively because everything in the series reflects real-life scenarios”.
The show naturally incorporates brands into pivotal moments, from weddings and dinner parties to moving in together and meeting the in-laws. This approach has led to a high level of consumer engagement, with Stewart noting that brand recall has increased significantly over the years.
“Brand integrations have had to evolve,” she said. “We’re always looking for different ways to seamlessly integrate people into the series in more innovative ways throughout it. And so what we’re doing for each of those brands is very different to what we did many seasons ago. This isn’t just a straight billboard sponsorship”.
The Powered team works closely with producers to ensure brand messaging is strategically placed within the show.
“When a company comes to us with a brief, our team collaborates with executive producers to find creative ways to integrate that brand, whether inside the show or across cross-platform assets like podcasts and digital content,” Stewart explained.
The creative approach extends beyond traditional product placement. Recent seasons have featured talent-led branded content, including unexpected collaborations like the show’s resident sex expert discussing banking in a commercial.
“I couldn’t have imagined that six years ago,” Stewart admitted.
A Decade of Brand Loyalty
Long-term sponsors continue to see value in aligning with MAFS. KFC, now in its ninth year of sponsorship, is joined by other returning brands such as Nestlé (three seasons), Stan (four seasons), Chemist Warehouse (two seasons), Uber (two seasons), and Snooze (three seasons). Newer additions include BIC, Garnier, Maybelline, and Simon Curwood Jewellers, among others.
The show’s ability to attract and retain sponsors, Stewart said, is a testament to its format’s effectiveness in delivering real consumer engagement. With brand health surveys conducted by external research companies for the network after the series concludes, the team works tirelessly to ensure brands are getting the best possible ROI on these partnerships.
“The results [of these studies] show a high level of brand recall,” she said.
As MAFS celebrates a decade on air, the show continues to evolve, offering new ways for brands to engage with its highly engaged audience.
“It’s a whole new world for MAFS,” Stewart said. “We’re super excited for another great season, delivering for our brands in fresh and innovative ways”.
Married at First Sight airs Sundays at 7 p.m. and Mondays to Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. on Channel 9 and 9Now.
